Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque

Project Name

Yoga in the Schools Project

Project Description

The use of yoga and mindfulness in Fulton Elementary School assists enhancing children’s health status,
and will support them in learning coping techniques to utilize in stressful situations.

Amount Requested

$3,000

Organization's Mission

The mission of Mindful Minutes for Schools is to leverage community resources which foster
opportunities for children to incorporate yoga and mindfulness in both school and daily life. Mindful
Minutes raises funds to send certified children’s yoga teachers from a local children’s yoga studio,
Challenge to Change (C2C), into Fulton School. Giving children the gift of yoga and mindfulness enables
them to have choices and resources for self-regulation. Molly Schreiber, founder of Mindful Minutes
said, “this is so our smart minds are connected to our kind hearts and calm bodies.” The Dubuque
Community School District’s (DCSD) vision statement prioritizes students becoming citizens of character;
it is Mindful Minutes’ goal to assist with this vision by reaching beyond academic achievement to help
students master social-emotional skills for long term success. The classroom yoga project teaches self-
regulation and mindfulness practices. Studies show that by applying these tools, students develop
stronger social-emotional skills, increase mind-body awareness, expand their self-esteem, improve
behavior, and increase academic achievement.

What are the goals of this project?

GOAL- During the 2020-2021 year, Challenge to Change staff and Fulton Elementary School staff will
instill lifelong coping skills and mindfulness to students to diminish their negative behaviors.

Objective: Teachers and students will demonstrate an awareness and implementation of regular yoga
and mindfulness practices in their classrooms.

Evaluation 1: An observational method is used to determine if the students and teachers are using the
methods taught through the yoga in the school’s project. The principal of Fulton Elementary School
observes whether the teachers and students use the strategies taught by Challenge to Change and
records her observations on the innovation configuration map. This process is called an implementation
check. The principal marks the level of implementation she sees which ranges between Beginning
Implementer to High Implementer.

Why did your organization decide this project?

The initiative has prioritized the health and wellbeing of children because developing children’s physical,
cognitive and socio-emotional skills results in positive psycho-social development. During the
developmental years, children reach significant milestones in the areas of emotional regulation,
language development, cognitive development and motor skills. These milestones are directly impacted
by this project as children are taught to use their smart minds, kind hearts and calm bodies. These
milestones can be significantly delayed in children experiencing poverty, inadequate caregiving, and
other risk factors. Prevention is critical as children enter middle childhood and become more likely to
develop physical, emotional, and stress behaviors.

Approximately how many people will be impacted? How will this program benefit young people (0-25)?

This project serves children ages 4-11, who fall under the early and middle childhood cohorts identified
by the government’s Healthy People 2020 initiative. The Mindful Minutes in Schools project has an
impact on the students and teachers at Fulton Elementary School, but will also have a positive impact on
their families, and community as a whole. When children learn the sustainable skills of mindfulness, they
are able to implement them when put in stressful family or societal situations. There are currently 295
students enrolled in Fulton Elementary School, being supported by 60 staff. Fulton Elementary School is
a high-risk school located on Central Avenue, with a minority enrollment of 65% and a Free and Reduced
enrollment of more than 90%. With this being said, the classroom yoga project provides an environment
for students to self-regulate their emotions and improve their ability to focus on their schoolwork. The
classroom yoga project allows students to learn self-regulation skills by connecting the mind and body
with the breath. This helps children understand how regulating the breath can slow the heart rate and
relax the body to relieve and manage stress. In schools such as Fulton, many children are exposed to
major stressors and trauma. It is important these skills are learned and utilized to improve their quality
of life.

How will this project be sustained?

The very design of this project ensures sustainability. While the students are learning these valuable
skills, so are the teachers. Resources are provided that can be used for multiple years, but more
importantly, Mindful Minutes instructors model yoga and mindfulness activities for teachers in order for
them to build these skills for consistent implementation into their classrooms.

When children are taught healthy activities for their bodies and minds at a young age, they develop
sustainable skills that will last them throughout their lives. This yoga and mindfulness project will have
profound impact on the young people of Dubuque not just next year but on their attitudes towards
wellness and body movement well into adulthood. Students and teachers benefit both physically and
emotionally from regular yoga and mindfulness practices; however, the benefit will reach beyond the
school walls. With children who are more likely to self-regulate and who are interested in the health of
their bodies, families will benefit by having calmer, healthier homes. Our community will also benefit
from an increased acceptance and implementation of these health-related behaviors.

Sustainability of the benefits for students is also planned as expansion of this project. After having
implemented the Yoga in Schools project in all thirteen elementary schools in the 2019-2020 year, DCSD
is planning implementation in middle schools for the 2020-2021 year. As students grow and mature,
they will learn further activities to sustain self-regulation to help them deal with the uncertainty and
tumultuous time of adolescence.

How can the YAPPERS stay informed on the progress of the project?
Upon grant award, DCSD would be happy to host Yappers members to observe a Yoga in the Schools
lesson at Fulton.

Upload a copy of your project budget.

Maintenance Budget: Fulton Elementary School

Item Number Needed Cost Per Item Total Cost

Monthly visits 14 $45 $4,410

during Sept, Oct,
30 minute visits for
Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb,
7 months
and March

Final event in April- 1 $100 $100

Whole school for 1
hour
Friday staff in- 3 $100 $300
services. Three per
year per school –
Sept, Nov, and Feb.

Teacher resources 9 months $9/ month $81

(each school
receives a
Teachable.com
subscription @
$9/month)
Fulton School Total: $4,891

Because the total cost of the project exceeds the total amount under the Yappers Grant, Challenge to
Change will provide matching resources to fully fund this project.

Please upload the most current IRS Determination Letter.